ECON 320: Natural Resource Economics – City of Cincinnati Green Plan Project Proposals Group 1: Resilience Proposals for making the city of Cincinnati more resilient to environmental effects related to weather, global climate change and other natural systems. - Increased Tree Canopy - Campaign directed at reducing Childhood Asthma - A better Emergency preparedness advisory - Educational Campaign Group 2: Transportation - (including increased fuel efficiency, alternative fuels, mass transit, and bike/ped) Proposals for increasing the efficiency of transportation in the city and making it an overall more sustainable system - Increased bikeable areas/access - Green Fleet – shared vehicles with lower emissions instead of personal vehicles - Green/Renewable energy for public transportation for the Cincinnati Metro - Automated vehicles Group 3: Waste – (minimization, reuse and recycling) Proposals for reducing the city’s overall waste production - Utilizing compostable dinnerware at city events - Aerobic Digestion of sanitary sewer waste - Better recycling practices for plastic bags or a tax for plastic bags - Centralized neighborhood recycling facilities - Introducing a recyclable bottle deposit fee - Implementing waste audits at the corporate level to reduce overall waste\ Group 4: Energy - (including energy conservation and renewable energy) Proposals for increased green/renewable energy for the city and divesting from fossil fuels
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ECON 320: Natural Resource Economics – City of Cincinnati Green Plan Project Proposals
Group 1: Resilience
Proposals for making the city of Cincinnati more resilient to environmental effects related to weather, global climate change and other natural systems.
- Increased Tree Canopy- Campaign directed at reducing Childhood Asthma - A better Emergency preparedness advisory- Educational Campaign
Group 2: Transportation - (including increased fuel efficiency, alternative fuels, mass transit, and bike/ped)
Proposals for increasing the efficiency of transportation in the city and making it an overall more sustainable system
- Increased bikeable areas/access- Green Fleet – shared vehicles with lower emissions instead of personal vehicles- Green/Renewable energy for public transportation for the Cincinnati Metro- Automated vehicles
Group 3: Waste – (minimization, reuse and recycling)
Proposals for reducing the city’s overall waste production
- Utilizing compostable dinnerware at city events - Aerobic Digestion of sanitary sewer waste- Better recycling practices for plastic bags or a tax for plastic bags- Centralized neighborhood recycling facilities- Introducing a recyclable bottle deposit fee- Implementing waste audits at the corporate level to reduce overall waste\
Group 4: Energy - (including energy conservation and renewable energy)
Proposals for increased green/renewable energy for the city and divesting from fossil fuels
- Energy Benchmarking – to measure and compare energy efficient buildings within the city and propose improvements
- Increased solar energy investments- Utilizing virtual net metering to limit energy consumption by household- Proofing (greening) building codes introducing requirements to make new buildings more
efficient - Invest in solar batteries, to store solar energy utilized in a mini grid system as backup/
emergency energy
Group 5: Build Environment - (including green buildings and more efficient patterns of development)
Proposals for increased sustainability initiatives within the city limits increasing awareness
- Sustainability District – likely in a downtown or university setting, limiting transportation, increasing sustainable design.
- Low Impact Development – to limit stormwater runoff on heavily impervious surfaces, reducing Combined Sewer overflows, reducing potential flooding damage and environmental harm
- Multi-family property energy improvements; energy efficient appliances, windows, etc. - Increasing population density, reducing sprawl to consolidate communities, less travel/energy
etc. - Installing LED street lights which utilize considerable less energy at the same light output
Group 6: Food - (including the local food economy and food choices that reduce climate impacts)
Proposals for increasing local food consumption, reducing GHG emissions with less meat consumption and education campaigns
- Educational campaign to decrease meat consumption, which utilizes 3x as much land and water to produce per pound as vegetables
- Eliminating food deserts in underserved areas- Reducing food waste- implementing more composting programs in neighborhoods- Produce Perks (SNAP) program- initiatives to help low-income people move to more of a
vegetable produce diet and less reliance on meat.- Investing in Food Hubs, or centralized locations that can localize food distribution and
consumption, allowing people to focus more on eating local food
Group 7: Natural Systems - (including greenspace, water and air)
Proposals for increasing natural systems that provide ecosystem services to the city, reducing harmful waste and CO2 emissions.
- Recreating wetland environments around Cincinnati to reduce impacts of floods and reduce pollutants reaching waterways
- Reducing potable water use by installing low-flow shower heads and faucets- Implementing green corridors and pocket parks to increase tree canopy reducing CO2 emissions
and decreasing stormwater runoff- Replacing grass medians with planted trees increasing canopy reducing CO2 and mowing - Implementing best management practices to reduce stormwater runoff in watersheds harming
the natural environment and causing property damage.
Group 8: Community Engagement/Educations & Outreach - (focused on driving sustainable behaviors)
Proposals for involving the community with the sustainability initiatives going on in Cincinnati and improving awareness.
- Increase branding of Cincinnati as a Green City, raising awareness to encourage volunteering and support of local initiatives
- Introducing a Green Business Certification for major corporations in the city, which will increase awareness and potentially can be applicable to residential homes as well.
- Utilizing Green jobs to bring more sustainability initiatives to the city and continue the progress and goals of the Cincinnati Green Plan.
In Summary:
Each group in both sections of Dr. Bertaux’s ECON 320 classes paired up with a task team for the Green Cincinnati Plan to create project proposals with cost benefit analyses of sustainability initiatives for the city of Cincinnati to further their progress toward the goals laid out in the Green Plan. The Task Groups included focus areas such as; Resilience, Transportation, Waste, Energy, Food, Natural Systems and Community Engagement.
Students worked in conjunction with Ollie Kroner, the Green Cincinnati Plan & Sustainability Coordinator to research project proposals which the Office of Environment and Sustainability at City Hall will consider for future investment. Some highlights of the proposals include; Educational campaigns regarding green branding, composting and recycling and the importance of eating local food, increasing the overall tree canopy to reduce CO2 emissions and decrease harmful effects of stormwater runoff, energy conservation/reduction efforts by installing LED streetlights, and utilizing energy benchmarking to compare high-efficiency buildings to create new green building codes and utilizing renewable fuels for public transit and increased overall resilience.
The Green Cincinnati Plan is integral to the city’s goal towards 100% renewable electricity by 2035, which includes the largest on-site solar commitment of any metropolitan area in the United States. If you are interested in details or progress of the Green Cincinnati Plan, be sure to check out the Office of Environment and Sustainability’s website, and follow the progress of the Green Cincinnati Plan!
